Bitcoin Yield Without Custody Risk: Inside Lightning's Payment Infrastructure

Bitcoin Lightning payments, self-custody yield, and stablecoin interoperability are converging on one infrastructure layer, and the companies building it are already seeing massive demand. Tedd Huff, CEO of fintech advisory firm Voalyre and founder of Fintech Confidential, sits down with Jesse Shrader, co-founder and CEO of Amboss Technologies, to break down how Lightning Network infrastructure is reshaping payment processing, treasury strategy, and compliance for fintech operators worldwide.

Card networks charge 2% to 5% per transaction. Lightning brings that to 0.29%. Square just announced zero Bitcoin processing fees for its entire retailer network. The Genius Act is flooding the market with stablecoins, but those assets live on blockchains that do not talk to each other. Jesse explains how Taproot Assets on Lightning can unify fragmented stablecoin systems through cross-asset, in-flight currency exchange. He also walks through how Rails, a self-custodial Bitcoin yield product with over 2,600 on its waitlist, lets companies earn yield from payment routing without giving up custody. The conversation includes real founder lessons on fundraising, board strategy, and preparing for a future where AI systems pay each other.

FIND OUT MORE

1️⃣ Lightning payment processing at 0.29% is a 10x reduction from card network fees; run the math on what your business saves annually.

2️⃣ Self-custody yield is now possible on Bitcoin without handing your asset to a third party; Rails automates the infrastructure so you do not need to be an expert.

3️⃣ Build your board with the smartest people you have ever met, and replace anyone who is not fully invested in your success.

4️⃣ Map your fiat compliance obligations into decentralized payment environments now, before a sanctions violation forces the conversation.

5️⃣ Start designing guardrails for AI agents with spending authority; machine-to-machine payments are expected within three to five years.

LINKS

Guest

Jesse Shrader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shraderjesse/

Company

Amboss Technologies: https://amboss.tech/

Amboss Space (Lightning Network Explorer): https://amboss.space/

Rails: https://www.amboss.tech/rails

Amboss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ambosstech

Fintech Confidential

Podcast: https://fintechconfidential.com/listen

Notifications: https://fintechconfidential.com/access

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintechconfidential

X: https://x.com/FTconfidential

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fintechconfidential

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fintechconfidential

Supporters

DFNS provides wallets as a service that is API first, multi-chain by design, and secured with MPC so you can launch across over 50 blockchains without managing private keys. Request a demo at fintechconfidential.com/dfns

Skyflow is a zero trust data privacy vault delivered as an API that lets you collect, secure, and tokenize personal information with built-in features for PCI, CCPA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance. Visit skyflowsecure.com

Hawk AI provides AI tools for real-time payment screening, ML transaction monitoring, and dynamic customer risk rating to make compliance more effective and help fight fraud and financial crime. Visit gethawkai.com

About

Jesse Shrader is the CEO and co-founder of Amboss Technologies. He holds a degree in Environmental Resources Engineering from Humboldt State University and previously worked in highway asset management at the Oregon Department of Transportation. His experience handling calls for class action lawsuits against banks exposed him to predatory overdraft practices and pushed him toward building decentralized payment infrastructure.

Amboss Technologies is a payment infrastructure and data analytics company built on Bitcoin's Lightning Network, founded in 2021. Its products include Magma (liquidity marketplace), Rails (self-custodial yield), Reflex (compliance automation), and Amboss Space (network explorer).

Tedd Huff, CEO of fintech advisory firm Voalyre and host of Fintech Confidential. Fintech Confidential is a production of DD3 Media, bringing you the people, tech, and companies that change how you pay and get paid.

Chapters

00:01:02 DFNS: Wallets as a Service (Sponsor)

00:02:20 Welcome to Web3 with FTC

00:02:51 Meet Jesse Shrader and Amboss

00:05:32 Rails Launch and Bitcoin Yield Demand

00:06:37 From Engineering to Bitcoin Infrastructure

00:09:18 Stablecoins, Genius Act, and Interoperability

00:12:39 Self-Custody Yield with Rails

00:16:40 Why Lightning Over Layer One

00:19:08 Amboss Product Suite

00:21:45 Compliance, Sanctions, and Reflex

00:24:15 Skyflow: Data Privacy Vault (Sponsor)

00:25:17 How Rails Generates Yield

00:29:31 Lower Fees and Merchant Adoption

00:35:24 Founder Lessons and Fundraising

00:39:30 Build Your Board Strategically

00:41:50 Crystal Ball: AI Paying AI

00:45:18 Voltage Partnership Announcement

00:47:12 Hawk AI: Fighting Financial Crime (Sponsor)

00:47:57 Disclaimer